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12 | March 8, 2018 | The winnetka Current news
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Hadley Institute’s
Women’s Board
celebrates yearly
fundraiser
Alexa Burnell
Freelance Reporter
Since 1920, Winnetka’s
Hadley Institute for the
Blind and Visually Impaired
has given light to
those who live in darkness
as the world’s largest
provider of long-distance
education for the visually
impaired.
Their mission is made
possible by the interest
and contributions from
the community, in particular,
the Hadley Women’s
Board, which works tirelessly
to see that Hadley’s
mission continues.
On March 3, the board
hosted its largest annual
fundraiser, A Spark in the
Dark, at the Michigan
Shores Club in Wilmette,
where guests united for a
night of socializing and
philanthropy. Proceeds
from the evening are paramount,
allowing Hadley to
keep services free for the
140,000 blind or visually
impaired learners across
the globe.
“Hadley’s free course
are available in all 50 states
and 90 countries worldwide,”
said Sara Ridder,
a Winnetka resident and
event co-chair. “We have
some of the most committed
teachers who work
with students in various
ways — over the phone,
via online classes, one-onone
coaching — whatever
is needed to help someone
with visual impairment or
blindness succeed. This
type of education is vital to
success in a sighted world.
Statistically, those with
visual impairment have a
more difficult time finding
employment, so for them,
having every educational
opportunity to become employable
is priceless.”
Fellow co-chair Beth
Sawyer, of Northfield,
adds there is a growing
need to address the visual
impairments that baby
boomers and beyond face.
“As people live longer,
they discover that eyesight
starts to change with age,”
she said. “Whether the
impairment comes along
with a diagnosis of diabetes
or glaucoma, or just a
result of the aging process,
sighted people are often
faced with a new visual
reality. For those individuals,
[Hadley] is a place
where they can learn how
to navigate what so many
of us take for granted, like
operating a smartphone
when vision starts to fail.”
Board member Mindy
Rendell, of Winnetka,
knows first-hand the positive
impact support and
education makes for a person
with a visual impairment.
Her nephew, Charlie,
raised in Winnetka, was
born with a condition that
caused blindness. His parents,
however, looked past
his visual difficulties, giving
him the same opportunities
his siblings enjoyed.
He attended the local public
schools and is now a
student at Michigan State
University, navigating a
large college campus and
leading a life just like any
other college student.
“[Charlie] has been
fortunate to have the support
of his family and the
resources to help him succeed,”
Rendell said. “Everyone
deserves to have
access to the tools that will
better their lives. This is
exactly what the Women’s
Board strives to achieve
through fundraising initiatives
and awareness campaigns.”
On the night of A Spark
in the Dark, WGN-TV
news anchor Dan Ponce
hosted the ceremony. Hadley
student John Hope Singleton,
who went blind at
7 months while being held
by his mother who was
struck and killed by lightening,
was named Hadley’s
student of the year.
Along with the inspiring
speeches came prizes for
the silent auction — all secured
over the past several
months by the devoted 40
members of the Women’s
Board.
“We are lucky to have
such a loyal and committed
Board,” Rendell said.
“Every member plays their
role and takes their part
seriously to see that we
can continue to provide
the resources that will allow
those who are faced
with blindness or a visual
impairment flourish in a
sighted world.”
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